JioStar bets big on Bigg Boss: Salman Khan, Mohanlal, Sourav Ganguly & other mega stars headline six-language expansion

In what marks the biggest-ever expansion of the Bigg Boss franchise, Reliance's JioStar is rolling out six simultaneous editions of the reality television juggernaut this September.

Targeting a unified national viewership during the lucrative festive season, the network will broadcast the property across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bangla—anchored by an unprecedented roster of national and regional icons.

By launching these six editions at once, JioStar is executing a massive localised rollout designed to capture audiences across every major demographic, positioning Bigg Boss as a pan-India cultural event rather than just a regional broadcast.

Megastar strategy

To drive this ambitious expansion, JioStar has assembled a heavyweight cinematic and sports lineup to serve as the bridge between the franchise and its diverse linguistic audiences.

The biggest surprise of the 2026 roster is the television debut of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who steps onto the reality TV pitch to host the Bangla edition.

Ganguly’s massive crossover from the cricketing arena to mass entertainment joins a formidable list of returning stalwarts and cinema legends:

• Hindi: Salman Khan
• Tamil: Vijay Sethupathi
• Telugu: Nagarjuna
• Kannada: Kichcha Sudeepa
• Malayalam: Mohanlal
• Bangla: Sourav Ganguly

Defying audience fragmentation

For Reliance's JioStar, deploying such heavy-hitting star power simultaneously across six markets is a calculated business manoeuvre designed to consolidate viewership in an increasingly fragmented digital and television landscape.

The metrics from the previous cycle heavily justify this massive expansion. According to a company press release, the Bigg Boss property reached over 500 million viewers in 2025, generating a staggering 438 billion viewing minutes.

“In a landscape of fragmented audience attention, especially during the festive season, Bigg Boss acts as a powerful magnet, delivering unified attention at scale,” said Bhaskar Ramesh, Head - Entertainment Sales, Digital, at JioStar.

Ramesh further noted that the franchise recorded a 47% year-on-year growth in engagement, fueled by 24/7 live feeds, billions of votes, and interactive live chats that successfully transform passive content consumption into active participation.

Chronicling a 20-year legacy

To run concurrently with this massive six-language expansion, JioStar also unveiled India's Bigg Reality, a coffee-table book documenting the show's 20-year evolution.

The retrospective highlights Bigg Boss's journey from a niche social experiment to a commercial powerhouse that heavily influences drawing-room conversations, fashion trends, and brand integrations across India.

“Over the last two decades, Bigg Boss has consistently reinvented itself, growing in scale, engagement, and cultural relevance with every season,” noted Mahesh Shetty, Head - Entertainment Sales, TV, JioStar. “This festive season marks our biggest milestone yet as six editions come together across languages, making it the biggest-ever celebration of the show.”

The unprecedented six-language premiere of Bigg Boss will hit screens across the JioStar television network in September 2026.